Volume 9 - CH 7

Chapter 7 – Buying Land and Dragon Forest 

When I was satisfied with the approximate size of the plot, the old man from the merchant’s house came over to talk to me.

“You have taken up quite a bit of space. At this size, even if it’s a little ragged, it’s still within the city walls, and it’ll cost you four or five platinum coins.”

Sure, it’s worrisome, isn’t it? But it is more than 1,000 platinum coins. If it were in Japan, it would be a big problem, and it would be enough to build a market. I can afford that much, right?

“We have plenty of funds, so it will be fine.”

“Speaking of which, you’re helping Mage-sama, right? She was introduced by the Marquis, so there’s no need to worry. In that case, I will calculate the price within that range, and if there is anyone who still has the rights, I will talk to them. Well, there are a lot of people who want to give up their land, so please come to the Merchant’s Guild in about 10 days. Oh, and what are you going to do with the land anyway?”

“Oh, I didn’t tell you. We are going to build an orphanage on that land.”

“Huh? Why an orphanage? Is it profitable?”

I’ve never heard of an orphanage being profitable.

“I don’t think it’s profitable or anything like that. You must understand that it’s a whim of Mage-sama.”

“A whim? I’ve heard that he brought a royal family to its knees, destroyed the Imperial Navy, and other absurd things, and now he wants to build a big orphanage. It seems to me that he doesn’t know what he’s doing.

Well, I haven’t done much of anything, have I?

“Hahaha, maybe so, I’ll come back in 10 days, but can it be built right after I buy the land?”

It seems impossible, but I’ll ask, just in case.

“That’s impossible. We don’t have enough men and materials. At the very least, you would have to wait until the naval headquarters is settled. Well, the nobles will be repairing and rebuilding their mansions. I think it will take even longer.”

Not only the Navy Headquarters but also the mansions of the nobles… If we wait leisurely, it could easily take a year or so. Do I have to bring my own materials and labor?　

“Is it okay to bring materials and personnel from neighboring countries?”

“Hmm? We already import materials from the neighboring countries, so even if you go to the neighboring countries, you won’t be able to get the numbers you need, and the prices will skyrocket.

It won’t be easy. Let’s talk about what to do when we get back to the Lutto.

“I understand. Thank you very much. I’ll think of something. I’ll visit the merchant guild in 10 days.”

“Hey, wait a minute. What about the contract? If you pay the deposit, you have priority in the negotiations. Well, I don’t see anyone buying this place anytime soon, but there might be someone who wants to buy it while they can.”

“Oh, please. How much do I have to pay as a deposit?”

“Hmm, well, 10 gold coins should do it.”

I was about to say goodbye to him, but I went back to the guild with the guy from the guild, paid him 10 gold coins, and we signed the contract.

“Alessia-san, I’m not in the mood for sightseeing, and I’m going back to the ship now. Is that okay with you?”

“That’s right. The atmosphere is not very cheerful, so let’s go back.”

We returned to the ship and discussed our future plans over a cup of canned coffee in the living room.

“There’s still time until the next 10 days, so what should we do?”

That’s not quite enough, isn’t it? Not enough time to search for the dark elves. Should we go buy materials first? It will take time to get to Aarhus, the neighboring port city we visited earlier. Besides, I heard that the materials are running low, so it seems impossible to get there in 10 days.

“Do you have something to do, Wataru-san? We can’t get to the Dark Elf Village in 10 days, can we?”

“That’s the problem, isn’t it? It takes time to do things, so 10 days is too short. Can’t you think of anything, Alessia-san? If that’s the case, we could take a break and spend some time in Lucca.”

“Hmm, it’s hard to take a vacation in Lucca right now. If you want to take a day off, I would like to spend it on the ship with Wataru-san. What about you girls?”

The members of Girasole discussed this. They all say that life on the ship is definitely better than the noisy Lucca. I’m glad they chose the ship, even if it’s noisy for one reason or another.

With nothing to do, we decided to take it easy and relax on the open sea with Girasole. The voyage to Lucca is also like a vacation, so the more we move, the more time we have off.

………………

For the next 10 days, we enjoyed the facilities of the luxury liner to the fullest. My relationship with Girasole should not be so bad, as we had fun drinking and swimming together, but we never made any progress.

I don’t know what’s wrong. I’m trying my best, but I don’t even know if it’s going well. Do I really need to talk to Ilma-san about this?　

I asked Ines and Felicia as well. They dismissed all my efforts, saying that they knew I was doing my best but that it was pointless because they couldn’t get through to me unless I told them directly.

I can’t go through with it because it would be embarrassing later if I failed. I can see a future where no progress is made and time passes, and Girasole is taken away by another man.

I’ll think about it as much as I can, whether it’s after the orphanage is finished, the luxury liner opens, and the dark elves migrate so that even if things go wrong, there will be less damage.

When I get tired of worrying, I’ll take Rimu, Fuu-chan, and Beni-chan to the children’s corner to play. When I was in Japan, I couldn’t understand why people go to pet cafes, but now I understand a little. It’s comforting to be with your favorite Slime, isn’t it?

………………

I arrived at the Merchant’s Guild in the city of Cagliari and went inside. The old man approached me as soon as I entered.

“Oh, the land is ready. I got permission from the Navy headquarters, so there’s no problem.”

“Thank you very much. But what is the permission from Navy headquarters?”

“Hmm? Ah, because we’re going to secure a large piece of land near the Navy headquarters. If we don’t talk to the Navy headquarters, there might be problems later.”

Well, with a letter of introduction from the Marquis of Lucca and the fact that I am related to the mage, I got permission easily. But the bigwigs are also interested in the mage. I heard that the Navy headquarters is also busy with organization and other things, but they said they would like to meet with me when they have time.

I guess when you make a big move, you get more opportunities to meet the bigwigs. There are a lot of things going on with the orphanage and the luxury liner, so we need to keep in touch. When the luxury liner arrives, I’ll throw everything to Camille-san, so I’ll just have to hold on until then.

“I understand. But I’ll sail out to gather materials and personnel after we sign the land contract…”

“Ah, that’s okay, it’s not right now. It will be after the Navy headquarters is settled. Then it will be fine.”

If I finish my business before the Navy headquarters is settled, we won’t have to meet… No, either way, I’ll have to invite them when the luxury liner arrives… We’ll still have to meet. I guess I’ll have to wait until I hear from them.

“I understand. Now all that’s left is the land contract. How much did it cost?”

“Oh, four platinum coins and thirty gold coins. We can’t lower it more than that because we won’t make much money.”

All of a sudden, he gave me the lowest price? Why did he do that?

“I’m glad you gave me a discount, but why are you suddenly talking about not making a profit?”

“Ah, there are many factors, such as the introduction of Marquis Lucca, the relationship with the mage, the orphanage, and the large-scale construction, but the most important factor is that the land is still empty. The surplus of land is not a good situation. If people do not buy land quickly and develop it quickly, the city and its people will not come back to life.”

“If the land is cheap, won’t there be many people who will buy it up?”

“These people will choose the best places. The Kingdom of Brescia has a lot of land lying around because of the Empire’s surprise attack. The port is also difficult to use because the navy has priority, and buying and selling land is time-consuming because of the presence of important national facilities. It’s not very popular.”

…Won’t the price of land go up when a luxury liner arrives? I have a feeling it will be a big profit. Let’s just pay the money and then ask.

“I see; I’ll pay you with five platinum coins.”

“Oh, well, let’s sign the contract.”

I sign the contract with the Merchant’s Guild and return to the counter. Now all I have to do is ask about the land.

“Um, I have some information that could make the city of Cagliari popular in the future. Is it possible for me to buy all the land?”

“…What kind of information is that?”

“It’s a secret.”

“What’s the point of hiding it if you say the price of land will go up?”

“Well, it’s not absolutely certain… Is it okay to buy up the land with it?”

“The letter of introduction doesn’t say how far it goes, so you can buy it, but if you do something reckless in the direct territory, it will ruin the reputation of the Marquis of Lucca who introduced it to you. However, I’d be happy to help you if you buy it and develop it.”

…Let’s not do that. There’s no need to make enemies with the Marquis, who might be on my side when I can make money elsewhere. The reason for the increase in land prices was probed, but I managed to dodge the question and returned to the Lutto.

“Master, what are we going to do now?”

Ines asked me as I took a breath.

“Yes, I think it would save time if we first gather personnel and materials to build the orphanage and then search for the dark elves while it’s under construction. There’s a shortage of materials in the neighboring countries. So I don’t really know what to do.”

“What do you mean by gathering materials and labor?”

“I think it would be better to go to a country a little farther away, or better yet, go back to the Southern City and ask Camille-san to gather materials and personnel for us. What do you think?”

I think it would be more reliable to leave it to Camille-san than to buy a lot of things for the first time in a new place, but it’s a long way away.

“If we’re going back to the Southern City, we might as well look for the dark elves first. If we take them with us, the island of the dark elves is close, right?”

“Yes, it would be safer to go back to the Southern City, so let’s look for the dark elves and then go to the Southern City. Is that okay with Girasole as well?”

“Wataru-san, we don’t mind, and you can go wherever you want. After all, we are like your personal bodyguard.”

“Thank you very much.”

Then let’s go to the Dark Elf Village. The Goddess of the Forest-sama marked the Dark Elf Village on the map, so I know roughly where it is, but I’ve never been there before, so it’s just a pothole floating in an empty, blank space.

“Do you know where this place is, Girasole?”

I show Girasole the map screen.

“Considering the distance from here and the topography along the sea… it must be the Earth Dragon’s forest. What do you think, Dorothea?”

“Yes, I am sure of it.”

“You said the dark elves hide in a dangerous forest, but this is it. How did they survive?”

It seems to be a very dangerous place. No matter how you look at it, the Earth Dragon Forest is a place where dragons come out, right?

“What kind of place is it, Alessia-san?”

“It’s a large forest that separates the Empire and the Kingdom of Brescia. As the name implies, dragons live there. Before we left on our journey, we went there to explore, but we gave up trying to go deeper into the forest. If there was only one dragon, we could handle it, but if we encountered a group of them, it would be impossible. If it weren’t for Wataru-san’s ability, I wouldn’t want to go in there.”

It seems the place lives up to its name. How do they really survive?

“With the Ship Summoning, won’t there be any problems?”

“Yes, it will be fine. It’s also a good way to level up.”

Well, if the dragon can be defeated safely, it’s definitely a good way to level up. I think it’s better than the Demon Forest. That place was kind of unreasonable.

“How should we go?”

“Right. From the position of the marker, I think the fastest way is to take a ship to the side of the marker and go straight into the forest.”

“Distance-wise, it’s the closest, but wouldn’t it be easier to go in from a place that’s already been explored to some extent?”

“Well, I wouldn’t say that there isn’t one, but since only the surface has been explored, it would be better to enter from a closer distance.”

It’s hard to know what’s there because they haven’t gone much further inside from any of the places. Then I guess it’s better to be closer.

“I understand. Then let’s do that.”

We decided on our destination. I tell the old man at the Merchant’s Guild that I’m going to gather materials and personnel and that I won’t be back for a few months. I don’t know how long it will take, so I can only say a few months. If we can get the dark elves to migrate quickly, maybe three months?

………………

Three days on autopilot, we switch from the Stronghold to the Lutto and arrive at the forest side. So this is the Earth Dragon Forest. I passed through it on my way to the Empire, but I never realized it was such a dangerous forest.

After confirming to some extent how to act, we finally enter the forest.

Funds on hand: 34 gold coins, 73 silver coins, 88 copper coins

Guild account: 0 platinum coins, 70 gold coins

Savings ship: 190 platinum coins

Pepper ships: 45 ships

Charity expenses: 95 platinum coins, 70 gold coins